The present invention relates to a pneumatic tire, more particularly to a tread pattern capable of improving the lateral grip performance during running off the road.
Usually, off-road sport tires used in rally, dirt trial and the like are provided with block-type tread patterns in order to obtain superior road grip performance such as traction/braking performance and lateral grip performance.
In the European patent application publication No. EP1992503A1, a pneumatic tire is provided with an asymmetrical tread pattern in order to improve the traction performance and lateral grip performance, wherein the tread portion is provided with: a plurality of oblique grooves extending from the outside tread edge to the tire equator while inclining to the intended rotational direction, and a plurality of connecting grooves extending between the oblique grooves while inclining to the same direction as the oblique grooves.
By such groove arrangement, the traction performance and lateral grip performance are improved, but it was found that there is room for improvement in the lateral grip performance.